THE CUTTING EDGE

Woman fined $140 a day for not circumcising son

'I have no right to cut his organ and mutilate him'

Published: 11/26/2013 at 12:35 PM

(TIMESOFISRAEL) — The Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem rejected an appeal Monday by a Netanya woman fined NIS 500 ($140) per day for refusing to circumcise her son, as is required by Jewish law (halacha).

The penalty was initially levied by a rabbinical court in Netanya earlier this year at the request of the woman’s estranged husband who has demanded that the circumcision take place. The two are reportedly undergoing divorce proceedings, and the court stated that it believes her refusal was part of some ploy to save her marriage.

The woman’s lawyer claimed that the rabbinical court had no authority to order the woman to circumcise her son, who is now a year old.

“I’ve been exposed to a lot of material regarding circumcision and I have decided not to circumcise my son,” the woman, who has not been identified, told Channel 2 News Monday evening.

“I have no right to cut his organ and mutilate him. And the court has no right to force me to do so,” she went on, vowing that she would not pay the fine, which has so far reached NIS 2,500. “I don’t have the means; I’m not working,” she said.